Situations When It is Best to Contact an Immigration Lawyer

There are many situations when consulting with an immigration lawyer comes highly recommended. It is best to spend some time trying to find a qualified immigration lawyer. Immigration law often comes with ethical challenges and vast, complicated rules that can be difficult to navigate.

Immigration law touches on each branch of the government – executive, legislative, and judicial. Many people use immigration policy as a political football, but strong ethical representation occurs regardless of politics.

When You Really Need an Immigration Attorney

You can normally apply for a Green Card or immigrant visa without help from a lawyer. If you are good at filling out paperwork accurately and following instructions, you can qualify if you have no criminal background or negative experiences with immigration authorities.

It is just a matter of filling out the forms, obtaining the verification documents, and waiting for routine approval for your Green Card or visa. However, if your case has any problem areas, an experienced attorney can help tremendously.

Hiring the right immigration lawyer can help you sail through proceedings with ease. The right attorney shows empathy, strong knowledge of immigration policy, and experience troubleshooting common immigration problems.

Some of the main reasons for contacting a specialized lawyer include:

Handling Multiple Immigration Possibilities

Skilled workers might qualify for employment from many employers. Skilled lawyers can help you decide which work visa offers the best deal for your needs. You might choose the employer who offers the fastest possibility of a visa or other work benefits like higher wages.

Choosing Among Immigration Options

A similar situation might arise if you have multiple possibilities of getting a visa. You might qualify for a family-based visa, or maybe you could marry as a path to citizenship. The various strategies take different amounts of time based on current immigration statistics. Your lawyer will know the fastest and most promising path to a visa.

Filing a PERM Application

The PERM process of labor certification requires using accurate language in ads for employment. The process has many deadlines and limits to verbiage and time frames, so getting help from an attorney is highly recommended. The PERM application is very complex and making even a small mistake can invalidate your application.

Handling U.S. Court Proceedings

If you are involved in any criminal, civil, or immigration-related court case, hiring a lawyer is essential for protecting your immigration rights. It’s especially critical to hire a lawyer if the court case could involve deportation. You will get nowhere with a traditional visa or Green Card application until you settle the pressing deportation issue.

Becoming Inadmissible

Hopeful immigrants can also be declared inadmissible by USCIS or the local consulate. This often occurs for politically related reasons, but sometimes a minor issue is involved.

Your attorney can help you discover the reason and fight your inadmissible status. Common reasons for inadmissibility are suspicion of lying to USCIS, criminal conviction, and even financial instability.

You Feel Overwhelmed by Paperwork

Some people become overwhelmed by complex paperwork and bureaucratic red tape. If that describes you, hiring an attorney to shepherd you through the process makes sense. Even the simplest application involves detailed information and document verification to prove every statement. Making one small mistake can delay or invalidate your application.

Major Reasons to Hire an Immigration Attorney

To sum it up, these are the most common situations for hiring an immigration attorney:

• Your case needs more evidence than the average petition, like multiple marriage and divorce certifications or specialized financial documents.
• You have been denied a visa in the past or overstayed your authorized time in the country – a couple of days is understandable, but an overstay of five years generates problems.
• Deportation proceedings have been filed against you, which usually happens when someone in your family overstayed their welcome.

Final Thoughts

While your current situation might seem problematic and a source of anxiety, contacting a lawyer can alleviate much of the stress. Allow the legal expert to guide you through the step you need to take to get your life back in order.